In this year-long class, students will explore the world of fiber arts through hands-on experience with embroidery, weaving, crochet, knitting, macramé, and more. We’ll begin by building foundational skills—learning to create with yarn, thread, and fabric using techniques that are both precise and expressive. As the semester unfolds, students will gain confidence in pattern-following and tool use while developing a personal relationship to the material and its traditions.
Fiber arts have long been dismissed as “craft” or “women’s work,” but in this class we’ll treat them as the powerful, story-filled practices they are. We’ll explore their historical and cultural significance, and discuss how these techniques can be used to express identity, emotion, and ideas.
In the spring semester, students will apply what they’ve learned in contemporary projects including soft sculpture, wearable art, and a final independent capstone. Each student will keep a sketchbook or notebook to track designs, techniques, and reflections throughout the course. Whether it’s a simple scarf or a personal self-portrait woven from yarn and memory, every project will celebrate the unique voices of our fiber artists.
Instructor: Charlotte Albunio
Instructor Bio: Charlotte Albunio is a mechanical engineering PhD student with a background in physics and a passion for fiber arts. Her academic research focuses on material behavior and design, but she finds equal inspiration in the structure and creativity of traditional fiber practices. Charlotte believes that fiber arts—often overlooked and historically rooted in female labor—deserve recognition not only for their beauty but also for their analytical and expressive power. She is particularly drawn to the way textile work combines precision with personal storytelling, offering skills that are as essential to understanding the world as those taught in science and engineering.
Required Materials: sewing tape measure, fabric scissors, darning needle, box for keeping supplies
TEEN DAY Ithaca 